The spiral slicing of fruits and vegetables such as apples, eggplant, onions, peppers, potatoes, radishes, tomatoes, and the like is known to produce an aesthetically pleasing product. Generically, fruits and vegetables are sliced into spiral segments by rotating and advancing a fruit/vegetable against a blade.
Samson et al., Canadian Patent Number 1,225,910, describes an apparatus for helically cutting potatoes which includes a rotating blade assembly (74), a plurality of inwardly biased fingers (63) for retaining a potato above the rotating blade assembly, and a plunger (47) for forcing the potato retained by the fingers against the blade assembly.
Chambos et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,259 (Canadian Patent Number 1,024,046) describes an apparatus for helically cutting potatoes which includes a portable power drill (2) slidably mounted upon a base for engaging a stationary blade assembly (31) positioned at one end of the base. In operation, a potato is rotatably supported between a set of prongs (34) retained within the collar of the drill and an axial pin (33) extending from the center of the blade assembly and the potato rotated and advanced towards the stationary blade assembly by the power drill.
Ross, U.S. Pat. No. 2,508,868, describes a hand operable utensil for helically cutting vegetables which includes a base with a shaft (14) threadably engaged at one end and a blade assembly (30) engaged to the base unit at the other end. In operation a potato is supported on the distal end of the shaft and rotated against the blade assembly by rotation of the shaft.
German Patents Numbers 3,046,923 and 3,708,264 describe hand operable utensils for spirally cutting fruits and vegetables. The utensils include a shank threaded along the distal end for producing an axial advance into a fruit/vegetable and a blade extending transversely from the shank for cutting the fruit/vegetable as the utensil progresses through the fruit/vegetable.
Mullender, U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,111, describes a method of spirally slicing a potato by simply rotating the potato against a tensioned wire(s).
Cupper et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,715,927, describes an appliance for dicing onions which includes a rotatable blade assembly (2) and an independently rotatable hopper (7) above the blade assembly. Operation of the appliance includes the steps of (i) placing an onion in the hopper, (ii) rotating the blade assembly against the lower surface of the onion so as to score the onion in a first direction, (iii) rotating the hopper so as to lift and rotate the onion 90.degree. with respect to the blade assembly, (iv) continuing rotation of the blade assembly to score the onion in a second direction transverse to the first direction, and then (v) removing the twice scored portion of the onion with a horizontal blade.
While generally effective for helically slicing fruits and/or vegetables, previous devices such as those summarized above are awkward, cumbersome, messy, and/or expensive to manufacture.
Accordingly, a need exists for an appliance which can quickly, easily, cleanly and efficiently slice fruits and vegetables into spiral segments.